Where Nothing Hurts
by stirigiphile
Summary: 1975. Best friends are amenable to romance but might not survive the summer.


Mrs. Evans and Petunia had taken her shopping almost as soon as she'd gotten off the Hogwarts Express. Petunia often led these excursions so that they soon lost any appeal. Her older sister didn't approve of her "making clothes for that slum kid."

"You're not the charity shop!" Petunia had sneered. Lily had asked her sister what in the bloody hell she knew about charity shops. She never donated her old things there, not to mention that she'd never stepped a foot inside one.

Petunia threatened to never take Lily shopping again, which was fine with Lily. She didn't need another dress, lipstick, or pillow sham. And even though Petunia had almost promised never to take Lily with her, she was livid when Lily refused to go to Camden the next day.

"You're such a freak!" Petunia had made sure to slam the door to their bedroom on her way out.

Mrs. Evans worried about leaving Lily behind. The increasing amount of rows between her daughters left her feeling hopeless. When Lily began following Mr. Evans on his days off she finally relaxed.

While her father was at work and her mother and sister out shopping, Lily crawled under the covers of her twin bed with _House of Worms _and a _Daily Prophet_. Sometimes her friends would send her owls with letters and copies of _Witch Weekly._ Lily didn't care for gossip and liked to set them on Petunia's bed for laughs.

Truthfully, Lily preferred spending time with her father to being alone. The two of them would drive in his green Zodiac and drink coffee at cafés, talking about her fifth year troubles. They'd prowl through his favorite bookstore and the occasional record store. She followed him anywhere he went.

When Mr. Evans needed to find a new suit they walked through one of the finest men's department stores. He picked the third best suit and extricated his daughter from a pile of men's shirts she was unfolding and examining closely.

He could tell she was admiring the seams and cuts with an expert eye. He had to admit she had a talent for clothes making, ever since she had taken up sewing when still just a tiny child.

Her green eyes looked at him in defeat, as she re-folded and put back the shirts on the display where they'd been laid. She must not have found the size she was looking for. If she found a good size, she could somehow find a way to measure it with her hands. Mr. Evans knew next to nothing about sewing or fashion. All he knew was how to pick the third-best suit.

"Lily," he smiled at his youngest daughter. "How about we stop by the new fabric shop?"

Her face lifted up in a way it hadn't since winter hols.

"Really? I feel bad about all the quid you've been spending on me today," she said guiltily.

Mr. Evans denied doing any such thing, but it was his intention to rid his youngest daughter of the depression she'd been suffering ever since coming home from Hogwarts. He drove to _Beckford Silk_ and walked behind Lily as she handled all the fabrics.

Lily was pleased with the newly opened shop and even happier her father had somehow come across it and taken her. While she waited for her yards to be cut she spun around on the linoleum floor, careful not to levitate as she secretly wished to.

It was only after the woman at the register handed her a bag full of her purchases that she realized her problem. Her hand slacked, almost dragging the bag across the ground on the way to the car.

The bag with screen print letters, _Bedford Silk Co._, laid on the worktable for the next few days untouched, as well as a book on how to make hats. Sometimes, when she tried to concentrate on _Passing a Dream_ or some article in the paper, her eyes wandered to stare at the worktable by the window.

Then one day, she turned on the sewing machine and drafted a simple pattern, before tearing apart the fabric. Sometime later she consulted the book on hat making. She was so glad her sister was staying at a friend's so she could spend the whole night sewing.

Lily draped the new clothes across the chair when they were finished. In the morning she fixed some minor things till they were perfect. She felt lethargic all day and spread out on the couch when her mother insisted there was nothing to do that day.

She pretended not to notice the visitor that afternoon. She woke up to hear her mother turning him away.

"She's resting in the living room," Mrs. Evans' voice said. "I'll give her your letter."

She could hear a low, anxious voice reply. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

Mrs. Evans gave a small chuckle. "That's alright, dear."

The low voice thanked Mrs. Evans before saying goodbye and the front door was shut. Lily closed her eyes as her mother set a white envelope on the cushion next to her and stepped into the kitchen.

Leaning forward uncomfortably off the couch, she managed to catch the envelope in her fingers. She took it with her upstairs and closed the door to her bedroom for privacy. When she attempted to carefully tear the flap without success, she realized the sender had magically sealed the envelope with an incantation.

She turned the letter over and saw the meticulous, girlish handwriting that had become so familiar. _Remember When You Were Young. You Shone Like The Sun_.

Assuming she knew the answer, her lips parted. To her surprise, the envelope in her hands slightly quivered.

"Wish you were here," Lily breathed sharply as the envelope opened and three pieces of parchment levitated in the air. The first came down and she put her knees up to read it on her lap.

She sat on the couch like that for almost an hour, reading and re-reading the parchments in front of her. At the end she cried big tears that fell to the floor. The pieces of parchment went back into the white envelope. She put it on the worktable and stuffed the clothes on the back of the chair into the _Bedford Silk Co. _bag.

Looking into the full length mirror standing on Petunia's side of the mirror, Lily saw the irritation under her eyes and was displeased by the sadness in them. The task at hand weighed heavily on her.

A pair of scissors made its way into the bag, as well as her wand. Just in case.

Lily told her mother she'd be going out. Then she passed the white flowers climbing the gate to their flat and the white flower bushes of the park on her way to Spinner's End.

Feeling empty, she faced the front door, which quickly opened to reveal Eileen Snape's broken stare.

"He's in his room," Eileen said coldly.

"Thank you," Lily mumbled, before passing Eileen's small frame and going to the room in the back.

It had been a while since she'd entered his bedroom. There was just a mattress lying on the floor and a desk he'd built where he sat. The look he gave her was unsettling and uneasy. He must have expected her to yell at him or speak some final words he did not wish to hear, though it was clear he'd already accepted what was soon to happen.

"Tell me that bit at the end you wrote," Lily said.

Severus's eyebrows rose in confusion. "Which part?"

"About being half-blood," Lily explained, but whatever she meant still eluded him.

Suddenly he understood. He closed the distance between them. "_I'm glad that I'm half-blood, because I met you in the park and it changed everything._"

He was surprised when she went in for a hug and he encircled her in his arms, relief finally coming after months of not seeing each other. When she pulled back to pick something off the floor, he took in the little irritations under her eyes, dark blotches that always appeared after she cried.

"I'm sorry for calling you _that," _Severus said with some desperation. "I ruined everything. I expected you to tell me off for showing up at your house today."

She didn't answer him, as if whatever was in that bag was more important. When she held out a shirt he felt even worse.

"I made this last night," Lily said. "I made a hat too. I missed having you around."

Their hands remained touching.

"I don't want you to feel guilty. That's not the way I want this to happen," Lily said. "So don't look at me that way. I'm happy we're friends again."

He nodded. This wasn't the cheerful reunion she'd hoped for, but soon they'd be back to their old ways. She pressed a fedora into his outstretched palms, on top of the shirt.

Later they sat on the floor together, his arms wrapped around her. While she told him just how much she'd missed her best friend he tried not to give her the details of their separation. Better she not know.

"Did you miss me?" Lily asked him, a bit hopefully.

He held his tongue until sure he wouldn't say anything acerbic or hurt her feelings. Then he squeezed her tightly and said, "I had a hard time of it."

She pressed him for more uselessly.

And while the blotches under her eyes never disappeared, happiness brightened her eyes. The girl in his arms was content to be there and was all that mattered to him in the moment.

A/N: I've used my own experiences to try authenticating the reunion of these two best friends. It feels a bit strained though. Any help with the sewing part is appreciated. Thanks for reading! R&R, review revolution!


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